Semitrailer crane



Aug, 1938. Y R. H. ZEILMAN SEMIVTRAILER CRANE Filed April 29, 1957 3Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

. nH IH I I tHH H ORNEYS.

1938- R. H. ZEILMAN 2,126,597

SEMITRAILER CRANE Filed April 29, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOK BYRoy/1. ZE/L ,q/v

1115A ORN Aug. 9, 1938.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 R. H. ZEILMANI snummuwn 01mm Filed April 29} 1937 b utINVENTOR ill menac- Au 9,1938

Roy H. Zeilman, Lorain, Ohio, assignor to The Thew poration of OhioApplication April 29, 1937, Serial No. 139,720

This invention relates to dling machines of the crane larly to a.machine of this 4 Claims.

portable load hantype. more particutype comprising a tractor, or amotive unit and a semi-trailer crane.

Heretofore it has been common practice to transport load handlingmachines of the crane type from one location to another under' their ownpower by equipping the machinewith caterpillar treads or the isrelatively slow and causes of time between jobs.

like. However, this method a considerable loss Cranes of this type havealso been mounted on a motor truck which provided suiliciently rapidtransportation but presented operating diiiiculties. trucks were toonarrow in the to provide proper stability.

are required to weight, truck frames strength but must expense.

be reinfor This reinforcing Many makes of track of the wheels Sincetruck'cranes lift loads equal to their own do not have suflicient ced atconsiderable a r to be applied mainly to thetop of the frame thusincreasing the height of the unit. Truck springs are objectionable dueto their flexibility and make the crane unstable when lifting loads overthe side or back of the truck. In order to overcome this condition, itis necessary to install an arrangement to make the springs inoperativeas by employing jacks and stlrrups.

ther expense, particularly so, on some 'six wheel trucks.

This involves furtypes of The increased use of light tractors andtrailers in replacing heavy trucks such as are suitable for crane mountsmakes it difficult to secure inexpensive used trucks on which to mountcranes. This condition requires the use of expensive new trucks and inmany cases, it of the truck crane.

I have devised a semi-trailer mounting for.

cranes which overcomes the offsets the economy forementioned ob-.tections, both from. an operating standpoint and from constructioneconomy.

Semi-trailers pos sees all the mobility of the truck-*mounted crane, aremore economical toconstruct, and reinforcing the truck crane and the useof axle jacks to render the springs inoperative is eliminated.

Additionally, the semi-trailer structlon since only one axle is a lesscostly conwith wheels, brakes and tires is required, the truch ortractor rear axle providing the other support.

I have found that the motor truck crane mount when equipped with axleJacks to eliminate rear spring action, acts with a three point supportsince it is impractical to provide jacks on the front axle and thefiront'axle'construction oi a motor truck willnot permit of concentration oiShovel Company, Lorain, Ohio, a corwheel to the center 0! the front axleis the tip- 10 ping line.

I provide a fifth wheel on the truck or tractor adapted'to haul thesemi-trailer, the fifth wheel being mounted at the rear of the trucksubstantially over the rear axle and providing the third 5 point ofsupport for the semi-trailer. The three point mounting above describedeliminates the need for springs and the resultant need for stirrups andjacks to provide a stable base for crane operation, and also eliminatesthe delay of plac- 20 ing jacks after moving.

The elimination of springs on a semi-trailer together with properlydesigned frame members rather than reinforced existing members, enablesthe height of the crane to be lowered where- 25 byit may be operatedwith a minimum of overhead. clearance and due'to the low center of vgravity,

semi-trailer the boom is hinged at a greater distance from the tractor.cab and may be carried at a lower angle, thus reducing the overheadroad clearance required. 40

It is an object of my invention, therefore, to provide a portable craneunit comprising a tractor and semi-trailer which can be rapidly movedfrom place to place.

hnotherohject of my invention is to provide a portable crane unitcomprising a tractor and semi-trailer wherein the semi-trailer frame ismounted directly on the axle eliminating the use of means to rendersprings inoperative.

Another object of my invention is to provide a portable crane comprisinga tractor and semitrailer having a stable base for crane operation,formed by a three-point supporhtwo support points being the trailerwheels and the third support point being the tractor. w

semi-trailer wherein Another object of my invention is to provide aportable crane unit comprising a tractor and crane base comprises anarrangement on a tractor insuring equal distribution of load to thetractor wheels.

Another object of my invention is to provide a crane unit comprising atractor and semitrailer wherein the crane base is relatively lowrequiring a minimum of overhead clearance for the crane.

Another object of my invention is to provide a portable crane unit whichcan be transported at relatively high speed and wherein the crane may becarried at a relatively low angle requiring a minimum of overhead roadclearance.

Another object of my invention is to provide a portable crane unitcomprising a tractor and semi-trailer which may be turned on arelatively short radius.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved frame mountingfor a semi-trailer crane unit and an improved connection between thesemi-trailer and tractor. 1

Other objectsoi' my invention and the invention itself will becomeincreasingly apparent from a consideration of the following descriptionand drawings wherein: V

Fig. 1 is an elevational view mainly diagrammatic of a truck and asemi-trailer embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the semi-trailer unit of Fig. 1 with thesuperstructure removed;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the semi-trailer truck illustrated inFig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section Fig.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a universal joint mechanism which I may employfor connecting the truck and semi-trailer of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a side elev'atlonal view of a universal Joint mechanism ofFig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a section taken along the line 'I--1 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is an inverted fragmentary sectional view taken along the line8-4 of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of Fig. 5.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 1, I haveillustrated generally at iii an automotive truck of well knownconstruction supported by spring mounted front and rear wheels. Althoughfor purposes of illustration, I have shown dual rear wheels, four rearwheels may be employed mounted in tandem or a single pair of rear wheelsdependent on load conditions. The truck i0 is of the type adaptedprimarily to semi-trailer operations having a relatively short wheelbase and with the rear portion of the chassis formed to support an armof the semi-trailer. The semi-trailer generally indicated at H comprisesa supporting frame I! including a forwardly extending arm I! preferablysupported by two sets of dual wheels equipped with pneumatic tires.However, it is understood that the wheels may be arranged in tandem or asingle set of wheels may replace the dual mounting, if desired. Thetruck frame preferably comprises two I-beams i4-i4 substantially spacedrearwardly and converging forwardly in abutting relation. The I-beams i4are of substantially uniform thickness for a major portion of theirlength and are at I! bent upwardly and progressively reduced inthickness terminating ,in horizontally extendingportions II of minimumthe point of support for the taken along the line 44 of thickness. Thebeams l4 are rigidly interconnected at spaced points by a plurality ofchannel members indicated at i1, l8, I9, 20 and ii bolted or welded tothe beams.

Secured to the under side of each beam l4 are axle brackets 22 rigidlymounted by U-bolts 23, lock washers 24, and lock nuts 25. The -brackets22 are transversely aligned and suitably hushed to provide hearings foran axle 26 upon which wheels 21 are mounted. The wheels 21 arepreferably equipped with pneumatic tires and the wheels may be securedto the axle in any well known manner. For convenience I; haveillustrated the wheels 21 as being dual mounted but the wheels may bearranged in tandem by providing two parallel axles if desired. Also asingle wheel may replace each pair of dual -mounted wheels but for agiven load condition I prefer the dual or tandem arrangement to maintainthe semi-trailer frame relatively low.

A cast metal base 30, upon which the turntable and superstructure isrotatable is bolted to I- beam l4 and channel members I] and it. Theconstruction or manner of securing the base 30 to the semi-trailer,crane constitutes no essential part of my invention'and any suitableconstruction may be employed.

I also preferably employ frontward and rear Outriggers indicated at 3iand 32 respectively and of generally similar construction, theoutriggers each comprising a pair of channel mem bers 3H3 confrontinglydisposed and having top and bottom plates 34 weldingly secured to thechannel flanges to provide a transversely extending generally box-shapedhousing. The housing thus formed is rigidly secured to the beams l4 inany suitable manner and ,slideably disposed therein are a pair of rails35 of I-form crosssection and movable outwardly from the housing wherebythe rail outer end may be supported by jacks or the like to providelateral stability and support for the trailer crane.

The forward portion i6 of beams i4 preferably have the top and bottomflanges cut, as indicated at 31, to be disposed in abutting relationwhereby they may be weldingly secured together and a top plate 38generally rectangular in form is weldingly or otherwise secured to thetop flanges of beams II. A relatively large bottom bearing plate 39. issecured in a similar manner to the bottom flanges of beams i4 and thewebs of the beams are plate 40 weldingly secured thereto. Alignedperforations are provided in plates 38 and 3! and also the top andbottom flanges of beams i4 whereby a king-pin 4i having an enlarged head42 and' a reduced neck portion 43 may be projected therethrough, theneck portion 43 extending below the bearing plate 39.

The king pin 4i is adapted to connect the semitrailer with a fifth wheelmechanism generally indicated at 44 mounted on truck iii. The fifthwheel mechanism 44, as will be hereinafter described, permits movementabout a longitudinal axis relative to the tractor and insures that theload transmitted to the tractor through the semitrailer frame, will beequally distributed to the tractor wheels. Rigidly secured to thetractor chassis is a support element 45 preferably formed ,of platematerial bent to provide upstanding bearing portions 46-46. A pair oftransversely spaced brackets 41 are detachably secured to the supportelement 45 by bolts 48 and nuts 49. The brackets 41 each compriseupstanding arms "-50 adapted to receive shafts. upon which preferablyinterconnected by an end till are mounted trunnions 52.. Trunnions 52are each provided with bearing portions 53 to rotatably supportupstanding crank arms 54 of a transversely extending shaft 55.

The shaft 55 is provided with hearing portions to adjacent each of thecrank arms, rorming a rotatable mounting for an element having anupwardly extending central portion which is provided with a transversebore iii. A shaft to is disposed within the bore ti of element 5! withthe shaft ends extended outwardly from the bore to engage spacedperforated portions bI-Bi provided on the under side of a bearing wheel82 or a fifth wheel. The wheel 62 comprises a plate portion 63ofgenerally arcuate form and including a slightly raised peripheralportion 54 having spaced guide arms iii-t5 formed integrally therewith.The wheel d2 is perforated intermediate arms to for the reception ofhing-pin ii which is projected therein to engage a thrust bearing 10,the king pin being loclred in position by manipulatinta lever l l havinga recess therein engageable with the neck portion it oi the lining pin.I p

The usual practice is to dispose the king pin ii in the mm id of thesemi-trailer to act as a guide in forming the connection between thetractor and semi-trailer, to spread a resilient collar it whereby theicing pin may engage the thrust hearing it and be inched by manipulationoi" lever ll. Although I preferably employ the filth wheel arrangementdescribed, any suitable mechanism adording a universal connectionbetween the tractor and semi-trailer may be used.

it will be noted that the supporting irame tor the semi-trailer is orgenerally triangular form to substantially coincide with the tippingline between the semi-trailer rear wheels and the third point of supporton the tractor whereby the semitraiierlrame is subjected to relativelylittle twisting action;

"the arrangement described provides a rugged semi-trailer frame adaptedto have considerable lateral support under operating conditions and itnecessary, the outriggers may be employed and during travel or movementoi the sernbtrailer at the scene oi operation, relative tipping movement oi? the tractor and semi-trailer is compen sated tor withouttransmitting, an over-turning action therebetween.

it will be noted that the vertical center line oi the truch rear wheelsindicated at ii, is disposed slightly rearwardly oi the aids oi icingpin ll whereby any tendency to disengage the not pin from the universaljoint mechanism or illith wheel under load is an: r are red. Thedistance be tween the rear axle oi the tractor indicated at "id and theaide oi the semi-trailer indicated at it, may vary'ilrom llid to 225inches and the wheel base oi the truclr or tractor may'vary from tiinches to lid inches. in the event that a pair oi rear axles are used oneither the truclr or semitrailer, the distances above reierred to, aretaken from the center oi load on a pair oi order or trom a point hallway between the pair oi aides.

in locating the crane ona semi-trailer, it is desirable that the centeroi gravity oi the crane unit tails ahead oi the n -trailer dale when theboom is traveling or in forward position. This is due to the necessityoi providing eumcicnt weight on the tractor or truck axle ior traction.

I However, it is desirable to heap the center or the crane as tarrearwardly toward the base of the triangle oi. the semi-trailer aspossible to produce the maximum lilting capacity over the side whenoperating the crane. This limitation brings the axis of rotation of thecrane from 21 to 30 inches ahead of the semi-trailer axle.

Although I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of myinvention, I contem-l plate that numerous and extensive departures maybe made therefrom without departing from the spirit of my invention andthe scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, claim is:

i. ll portable crane unit comprising a tractor and a semi-trailer havinga rotatable crane mounted thereon, the semi-trailer irarne beinggenerally triangular in form and supported at the rear thereof bytransversely spaced wheels rigidly secured to the frame, the forwardportion oi the semi-trailer frame being supported by the tractor, theframe being connected to the tractor by a bearing wheel disposedsubstantially above the rear axle oi the tractor, said bearing wheelbeing rotatable about a vertical aids and a longitudinally extendinghorizontal aids, and a king pin projected through the forward portion oithe frame and detachabiy engaging the hear-- ing wheel.

2. a supporting irame for a load handling machine of the semi-trailertype adapted to'be hauled by a tractor, the frame comprising a piuraiityoi longitudinally extending beams'spaced rearwarclly and convergingforwardly, a plurality oi transverse members rigidly interconnecting thebeams, an airle rigidly secured to the rear of the frame, a base rigidlysupported by the beams forwardly of and adjacent the axle adapted tohave a'superstructure rotated thereupon, a hear" what 1 ing platesecured to forward portions of the beams adapted to transmit load to auniversal ioint mechanism mounted on the tractor, a lring pin projectedthrough. the forward portion of the beams and the bearing plate adaptedto engage the universal joint mechanism, and transversely entendingoutrlggers rigidly secured to the beams at longitudinally spaced pointscomprising beams sllcleoble laterally oi the frame and adapted to engagea inch or the lilre at their outer ends.

ii. a. portable crane unit comprising a tractor and a send-trailerhaving a rotatable crane mounted thereon, the semi-trailer irame beinggenerally triangular in term diverging rearwardly and supported at therear thereof by transversely spaced wheels rigidly secured to the frame,the forward portion oi the trailer ire-me being supported by thetractor, the frame being connected to the tractor by a bearing'wheeldisposed substantially above the rear aide oi the tractor, said bearingwheel rotatable about a vertical dads and a longitudinal en'tendinghorizontal aria, and a ldng pin projected through the iorward portion oithe irame and detachably engaging the bearing wheel iorwardly oi thetractor rear attic, and laterally extending outriggers rigidly securedto the trance disposed both forwardly and rearwardly oi the ends oirotation at the rality oi longitudinally extending beams spacedrearwardly and converging forwardly, a plurality of transverse membersrigidly interconnecting the beam, an axle rigidly secured to the rear oithe ironic, a base rigidly supported by the beam iorwardly of andadjacent the axle adapted to have a superstructure rotated thereupon,the distance the universal joint mechanism, transversely extendingOutriggers rigidly secured to the beam both forwardly and rearwardly ofthe base, and said outriggers comprising beams slldeable laterally ofthe frame and adapted to engage jacks 5 or the like at their outer ends.v

ROY H. ZEIIMAN.

